Periodical Review - Summary from the Jihadi Forums - The Second Half of August 2014

This report summarizes notable events discussed on jihadist Web forums during the second half of August 2014. Following are the main points covered in the report:

The Islamic State warns President Obama’s government not to act against its militants in Iraq, otherwise it will be responsible for the deaths of its citizens. As proof of its serious intent, the organization records the execution of American journalist, John Foley, who before his death appealed to the United States to avoid involvement in Iraq. The Islamic State threatens to execute another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, if its demands are not met.

The Islamic State publishes a PR video documenting the conversion to Islam of hundreds of Yazidis in Iraq after the organization laid siege to their towns. The seiged Yazidis in the area of Mount Sinjar in Iraq are called on to descend from there and accept Islam.

Sheikh Abu Dujana al-Basha, a senior member of Al-Qaeda, expresses support for, and solidarity with, the residents of the Gaza Strip against the backdrop of Operation ‘Protective Edge’, and emphasizes that the mujahideen still have their sights set on the liberation of Palestine. According to him, the war with the United States, its allies and the infidel Muslim regimes, such as those of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is a precondition for the liberation of Palestine. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula also expresses solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and produces a special issue in their honor titled, “Palestine”.

The mutual wrangling continue between supporters of Al-Qaeda and the Al-Nusra Front, and supporters of the Islamic State, regarding the establishment of the Islamic Caliphate by the latter. According to Al-Qaeda and the Al-Nusra Front, the Islamic Caliphate has no legitimate basis for several reasons, including the lack of a broad consensus among members of the Muslim Nation, and its establishment only serves to foster a rift and separation among the ranks of the mujahideen.

The Al-Nusra Front in Syria announces that it is holding captive members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in revenge for the UN’s disregard of the atrocities being carried out by Bashar al-Assad against the Syrian people and in protest against the inclusion of the Al-Nusra Front on the UN’s list of terrorist organizations.

The Salafi jihadist Wenb portal, Minbar al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, published a fatwa against joining the Yemeni army in order to help its fight against the Houthis, despite the threat posed by the latter to Sunni security, since the Yemeni army is considered heretical.

The Islamic Front’s publicity efforts gain a significant boost with the establishment of an umbrella organization called “The Media Front for Assistance to the Islamic State”, which is composed of several jihadist media institutions.